Rejoice and Be Glad

At a recent conference the speaker asked the audience of Christian leaders whether they thought the Lord is reigning now. There was some discomfort. Could we truly say the Lord reigns, with the world in economic crisis, ungodly regimes crushing their people, the church in disarray and the truth marginalized? The point was that declarations of the Lord’s reign are made in Scripture whatever the circumstances. It is an act of faith to believe that God reigns. His reign one day will be public and explicit; in the meantime we have some harbingers of that day, demonstrated most notably in the miracles of Jesus.

We would seldom say, “let the earth be glad” (1) about the reign of world leaders, but when righteousness and justice (2) are the basis for ruling there is reason for rejoicing. Here at last is a king who has not only the will but also the power to exercise justice. The images pile up (fire, lightning and molten rock) to reassure us that nothing will stand in his way. We can take heart: life is not random, the biggest and cruelest are not destined to dominate forever.

We are easily conned by those who will try to oppose the Lord, setting themselves up as rivals to his reign, somehow thinking that we can find answers (even righteousness and justice) in the gods of political philosophies, business strategies and economic policies, or in the idols of money, sex and power. We even make idols of our churches and their traditions–but these must all fall. There is reason to trust the Lord and him alone, and, as in 1 Corinthians 5, a sign of our trust in the Lord is hatred of evil (10), never allowing it breathing space among us.

What are the idols that most affect the way people think about life and the future? Do these affect you and your Christian community? How can you root these out?